I did not watch the Republican presidential primary debate last night on CNBC. I thought it would be a worthwhile exercise to evaluate the debate by observing the reactions of others, and do so without the skewing variable of my own impressions. The results are informative, to say the least. Last night’s debate is alternatively

Remember that time you won that huge political argument with a family member? You were trading vicious insults and challenging each other’s patriotism, and suddenly she or he finally said, “You know what, you’re right”. Remember that? Of course you don’t – because it never happened, and never will. Families and friendships have fractured over

The political world focused on two people yesterday. One is seeking a job he says he does not want, and the other is not seeking a job he wants but cannot get. Rep. Paul Ryan is pulling off the near-impossible. He is waging a campaign for Speaker of the House of Representatives, and his strategy

As I wrote in my blog on September 27th (The Fundamental Question, Part 2), the candidates themselves literally write the rules for the presidential debates. I correctly characterized this repulsive reality as “the best kept secret in all of politics”. Just three weeks on, there have been two deplorable developments: 1) CNBC has conceded to

Tuesday’s Democratic primary debate in Las Vegas has been widely described as “more substantive” than the previous Republican debates. You can either interpret that characterization as a dramatic compliment, or a damning with faint praise. While it was certainly an improvement over the insult festivals organized by FOX and CNN, and passed off as Republican

“Previously, on House: John Boehner announces his retirement as Speaker of the House. The Freedom Caucus claims victory. Representative Peter King of New York describes Boehner’s resignation as “(A) victory for the crazies. You can’t appease these people.” Kevin McCarthy stuns his colleagues by dropping out of the race to replace Boehner, after a conservative

I have never met a conservative. Or a liberal. I’ve seen a few, but never met one. And those I’ve seen are of the self-proclaimed, for-profit variety. It’s a cowardly thing, labeling. Characterizations of left-wing-this, and right-wing-that, rain down from on high from people whose very livelihood is 100% dependent upon perpetuating strife. These are

Between now and November 8, 2016, a sadly predictable process will unfold. We will witness presidential candidates openly “tack” to the left or right during the primary, then “veer” to the center in the general election. Or, stated another way, candidates will lie about their intentions during the primary, then lie about them again during

When the House Conservatives rejoiced upon hearing the news that John Boehner was resigning from Congress at the end of October, they paid far too much attention to “resigning”, and far too little to “at the end of October”. John Boehner’s legacy is going to be defined by John Boehner, and he has 30 days